The NBA playoffs will, once again, be an international showcase of stars

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The NBA playoffs will, once again, be an international showcase of stars

2025-04-16 12:09 Last Updated At：12:21

They’ll be watching in Canada, not just because of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, though the NBA’s scoring champion and MVP favorite who plays for Oklahoma City surely helps lure in fans who are north of the border.

They’ll be watching from Serbia and Greece, the homelands of Denver star Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo. Alperen Sengun will have them watching Houston games in the middle of the night in Turkey, too. Slovenian fans will be watching Luka Doncic and the Lakers play their playoff opener at 2:30 a.m. Sunday, 5:30 p.m. Saturday in Los Angeles. Fans in Cameroon will be tuned in to see Pascal Siakam and the Indiana Pacers. Defending champion Boston features, among others, Kristaps Porzingis of Latvia and Al Horford of the Dominican Republic.

Once again, the NBA playoffs are setting up to be a showcase for international stars.

In a season where the five statistical champions were from five different countries, an NBA first — Gilgeous-Alexander is Canadian, rebounding champion Domantas Sabonis of Sacramento is from Lithuania, blocked shots champion Victor Wembanyama of San Antonio is from France, steals champion Dyson Daniels of Atlanta is from Australia, and assists champion Trae Young of the Hawks is from the U.S. — the postseason will have plenty of international feel as well. Gilgeous-Alexander is in, while Sabonis and Daniels (along with Young, obviously) could join him if their teams get through the play-in tournament.

“We have a tremendous number of international players in this league,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said earlier this season. “It’s roughly 30% of our players representing, at least on opening day, 43 different countries, so there’s much more of a global sense around our teams.”

By the end of the season, it wound up being 44 different countries — at least in terms of countries where players who scored in the NBA this season were born. For the first time in NBA history, players from one country other than the U.S. combined to score more than 15,000 points; Canadian players scored 15,588 this season, led by Gilgeous-Alexander, the first scoring champion from that country.

Gilgeous-Alexander is favored to be MVP this season. It'll be either him or Jokic, which means it'll be a seventh consecutive year with an international MVP for the NBA. Antetokounmpo won twice, then Jokic won three of the next four, with Cameroon-born Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers winning two seasons ago.

“Shai is in the category of you do not stop him,” Toronto coach Darko Rajakovic said after a game between the Raptors and Thunder this season.

In other words, he's like a lot of other international guys now. Nobody truly stops Jokic, Antetokounmpo and Doncic either.

And this season brought another international first: Doncic finished atop the NBA's most popular jersey list, meaning NBAStore.com sold more of his jerseys than they did anyone else's. Sure, that was bolstered by Doncic changing jerseys midseason when he was traded by Dallas to the Los Angeles Lakers, but it still is significant.

The Slovenian star is the first international player to finish atop the most popular jerseys list — and the first player other than Stephen Curry or LeBron James to hold that spot in more than a decade, since soon-to-be-enshrined Basketball Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony did it when he was with New York in 2012-13.

“We’re so small, we have 2 million people. But really, our sport is amazing,” fellow Slovene Ajsa Sivka said when she was drafted by the WNBA's Chicago Sky on Monday night and asked about Doncic and other top Slovenian athletes. “No matter what sport, we have at least someone that’s great in it. I’m just really proud to be Slovenian.”

All this comes at a time where the NBA is more serious than perhaps ever before about growing its international footprint. Last month, FIBA — the sport's international governing body — and the NBA announced a plan to partner on a new European basketball league that has been taking shape for many years. The initial target calls for a 16-team league and it potentially could involve many of the biggest franchise names in Europe, such as Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City.

It was a season where four players topped 2,000 points in the NBA and three of them were international with Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokic and Antetokounmpo. Globally, time spent watching NBA League Pass was up 6% over last season. More people watched NBA games in France this season than ever before, even with Wembanyama missing the final two months. NBA-related social media views in Canada this season set records, and league metrics show more fans than ever were watching in the Asia-Pacific region — already a basketball hotbed — as well.

FIBA secretary general Andreas Zagklis said the numbers — which are clearly being fueled by the continued international growth — suggest the game is very strong right now.

“Looking around the world, and of course here in North America," Zagklis said, "the NBA is most popular and more commercially successful than ever.”

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The Latest: Pope Francis dies at age 88

2025-04-21 22:54 Last Updated At：23:00

Pope Francis died Monday at age 88. History’s first Latin American pontiff charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor but alienated many conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change.

Francis suffered from chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man. He was admitted to a hospital on Feb. 14, 2025, for a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia. He spent 38 days there, the longest hospitalization of his 12-year papacy.

He last appeared in public on Sunday with an Easter morning blessing and popemobile tour through a crowd of cheering thousands in St. Peter’s Square.

Here's the latest:

In Francis’ hometown of Buenos Aires, Argentines gathered for Mass. Some cried. “I think he was a rebel. He may have been contradictory, but that was nice, too,” said worshiper Catalina Favaro.

Bishop Jorge García Cuerva told those gathered that “the pope of everyone has died. The pope of all humanity who insisted one and a thousand times that there must be room for everyone.”

The pope’s beloved soccer team — Buenos Aires club San Lorenzo, who nickname is “The Saints” — wrote “Goodbye, Holy Father” on its website. The team won the national championship in 2013, the year Francis was elected pope.

Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune called Francis an “immense personality” and said he “wrote his name in golden letters in modern history.” Though Christians have been increasingly targeted for proselytizing in Muslim-majority Algeria, the Catholic Church enjoys official recognition.

Former U.S. President Joe Biden says Francis was “unlike any who came before him. Pope Francis will be remembered as one of the most consequential leaders of our time, and I am better for having known him.” Biden, who is Catholic, called the pope a “challenging teacher” and “above all, he was a pope for everyone.”

Biden had planned to visit Francis one more time before leaving office, but the trip was canceled because of wildfires in the Los Angeles area.

“Pope Francis was the rare leader who made us want to be better people,” former U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, said. “He shook us out of our complacency and reminded us that we are all bound by moral obligations to God and one another.”

In Ukraine, there was a mix of sorrow and hope. “From a human point of view, it’s sad, of course,” said Valentina Sofilkanych in Lviv. “But as a Ukrainian, I hope the next Pope will be more pro-Ukrainian, we will feel more support from the church.” Francis tried to maintain the Vatican’s traditional diplomatic neutrality during the war there.

“He was a pope who was humble. When he visited Kenya, he rode in a very simple car,” said Ted Mutuku, a Catholic in the capital, Nairobi.

The leader of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, said Francis was always deeply interested in the region, and Gaza was “a symbol of Francis’ pontificate,” with the pope “always close to the poor, against the war.”

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem will hold a requiem mass on Wednesday with leaders of other major Christian sects.

In the occupied West Bank, Bethlehem Mayor Anton Salman said Francis worked to “restore the value and meaning of humanity.”

The pope was “in many respects the world’s conscience, never hesitating to challenge the powerful on behalf of the vulnerable,” said Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who is Catholic. He noted the pope’s visit in 2022, when he apologized for the church’s cooperation with Canada’s policy of Indigenous residential schools, saying the forced assimilation destroyed their cultures.

Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said the pope “tirelessly sought to bring love where there was hatred. Unity where there was discord. And the understanding that we are all equal, living in the same house, our planet, which urgently needs our care.” Francis visited in 2013.

Gianni Infantino, president of soccer’s world governing body FIFA, noted the pope’s love for soccer and said that “all the prayers of the whole football world are with him.”

Italian President Sergio Mattarella said Pope Francis’ final public act – an Easter morning blessing and popemobile tour through a crowd of thousands in St. Peter’s Square – in retrospect seems like his final goodbye to the church.

Critics of the Catholic Church’s handing of clergy sex abuse say the pope did far from enough.

“Where Francis had supreme power, he refused to make the necessary changes,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the U.S.-based group BishopAccountability.

David Clohessy, former national director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, noted the pope’s “prompt and impressive action” on other matters but said the pope’s “genial personality and warm demeanor distracted many from the unhealthy and still essentially unaddressed structural and cultural flaws in the church that cause kids to keep being hurt.”

Many across Africa have said they felt connected with the pope, who often spoke about issues at the heart of the region, from climate change to marginalization.

The pope was “very unambiguous in telling world powers to stop exploiting Africans,” said the Rev. Michael Nsikak Umoh, spokesperson for the Nigerian bishops’ association.

In Congo, where pope visited in 2023 to demand that foreign powers stop plundering Africa’s natural resources, Abbé Camille Esika in the capital, Kinshasa, said Francis “wanted to be the voice of the voiceless.”

The pope visited Africa five times, acknowledging the strong growth of the Catholic Church there. The South African Catholic Bishops’ Conference has encouraged all Catholics to pray for those choosing his successor.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a statement recalls that Pope Francis once said: “The future of humankind isn’t exclusively in the hands of politicians, of great leaders, of big companies … (it) is, most of all, in the hands of those people who recognize the other as a ‘you’ and themselves as part of an ‘us.’”

Guterres adds that “Our divided and discordant world will be a much better place if we follow his example of unity and mutual understanding in our own actions.”

The Vatican says the general public likely can begin paying final respects to Pope Francis starting Wednesday in St. Peter’s Basilica. The date will be confirmed when cardinals gather for the first time after Francis’ death Tuesday morning.

Francis’ coffin will be moved from the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta hotel where he lived to St. Peter’s Basilica for public viewing. In a change ordered by Francis, the pope’s body will no longer placed on an elevated bier in the basilica. Rather, the wooden coffin will be placed facing the pews.

No date for the funeral has been announced. It must be held between four and six days after the death.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says Vance’s team expressed “how excited and grateful they were for the opportunity to have met with the pope just yesterday.” In an appearance on Fox News, she added that "it’s a solemn day for Catholics around the world, and we are praying for all those who loved the pope and believed in him.”

President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social: “Rest in Peace Pope Francis! May God Bless him and all who loved him!”

The Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama offered prayers, saying Francis dedicated himself to the service of others, “consistently revealing by his own actions how to live a simple, but meaningful life. The best tribute we can pay to him is to be a warmhearted person, serving others wherever and in whatever way we can.”

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, the leader of the Orthodox Christians, said Francis’ wish was for a greater unity with the Orthodox, calling him "a genuine friend of Orthodox Christianity.”

He mentioned their meeting in 2014, in which Bartholomew told Francis of the upcoming 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council and invited him, saying Francis “appeared enthusiastic.” But “it was not to be,” Bartholomew said, adding that he would welcome Francis’ successor.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Francis was dedicated to building interfaith dialogue and addressing “human tragedies” such as the Palestinian issue and the war in Gaza.

“A respected statesman, Pope Francis was also a spiritual leader who valued dialogue between different faith groups and took the initiative in the face of human tragedies, especially the Palestinian issue and the genocide in Gaza,” Erdogan wrote on social media. Israel has denied allegations of genocide in Gaza. Francis said such allegations should be investigated while also calling for a ceasefire and the release of hostages.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian offered condolences and praised Francis' humanitarian stance including support for “innocent Palestinian women and children” in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Irish President Michael Higgins says Francis’ recognition of the “essential dignity” of every human being helped him confront issues such as climate change and the plight of migrants, as well as the child sexual abuse scandal that has rocked the church.

During his last visit in 2018, Francis spoke about the scandal that has undermined support for the church in the once overwhelmingly Catholic country.

“On such matters, and on others such as attitudes towards women and those of the LGBTQ+ community within the Church, Pope Francis sought to play a positive role,” Higgins said. “I recall at the end of our meetings he would say as to his work on such issues, ‘it is very difficult’, as he asked for and offered prayers.”

The president of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald S. Lauder, described Francis as “a true moral leader, a man of deep faith and humanity, and a steadfast friend to the Jewish people.”

Lauder noted that in 2022, the congress' executive committee had a private audience with the pope "where we launched the historic ‘Kishreinu’ (Our Bond) initiative, marking a new chapter in Catholic-Jewish relations and reinforcing the common future of our two peoples.”

Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama called Francis the country’s “great and unforgettable friend.” For his first European journey in 2014, Francis chose predominantly Muslim Albania — a visit that has become a symbol of interfaith dialogue.

Churches in the Philippines, the largest Roman Catholic nation in Asia, rang their bells to mourn Francis. He visited in 2015 to console survivors of Typhoon Haiyan and celebrate Mass before millions in Manila.

“Pope Francis showed us what it means to suffer with others and find hope in the midst of pain,” Manila Archbishop Jose Advincula said. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said "his humility brought many back to the fold of the church.”

The mother of a slain American-Israeli hostage praised Francis’ advocacy for Hamas-held captives in Gaza.

Rachel Goldberg-Polin was among families who met with the pope in 2023. She said he “felt our sorrow and suffering, and we so appreciated his advocacy on this topic, and on trying to find peace and reconciliation.” Hersh Goldberg-Polin and five others were killed by their captors last year as Israeli troops closed in.

The first formal liturgical ritual for Francis will occur at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT) on Monday with the confirmation of the pope’s death and the placement of the body in the coffin.

Those invited to attend the ceremony, in the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta hotel where Francis lived, are the dean of the College of Cardinals, any relatives of the pope, the director and vice director of the Vatican’s health department.

The presiding prelate is Cardinal Joseph Farrell, the camerlengo who has taken over the administration of the Holy See and will remain in charge until a new pope is elected.

According to the new rites and rituals Francis approved last year, the body will remain in the chapel for a few days before being brought for public viewing in St. Peter’s Basilica.

The canonization of the first millennial saint, Carlo Acutis, has been postponed, the Vatican announced. It had been planned for Sunday. Acutis, an Italian teen, died of acute leukemia at age 15 in 2006.

Egypt’s top Muslim cleric mourned the death of “his brother” Pope Francis and recalled that the relationship between the Islamic world and the Vatican was developed under the pontiff’s watch. “Pope Francis was a humanitarian icon of the highest caliber,” Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, Al-Azhar’s Grand Imam, said in a statement.

Flags flew at half-staff in overwhelmingly Roman Catholic Italy. The faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square, where bells tolled.

Eva Bonnano, from Philadelphia, called it “a very sad day. It is honestly impressive, I think, that he made it to Easter, I think that is almost like a miracle for Italy.”

Johann Xavier said he had traveled from Australia, hoping to see the pope. “But then we heard about it when we came in here. It pretty much devastated all of us."

In a letter of condolences, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted the pope’s international clout as a “consistent defender of the high values of humanism and justice.” Putin said the pope also “actively encouraged the development of a dialogue between the Russian Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Churches, as well as constructive interaction between Russia and the Holy See.”

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country grieves with Catholics and all Christians who looked to Francis for spiritual support. “He prayed for peace in Ukraine and for Ukrainians. Eternal memory!” Zelenskyy wrote on social media.

Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said Francis will long be remembered for his outreach to those on the margins of the church and society: “He renewed for us the mission to bring the Gospel out to the ends of the earth and offer divine mercy to all."

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described Francis as a courageous leader who reached out to people of all beliefs during a “complex and challenging time."

“He was close to the realities of human fragility, meeting Christians around the world facing war, famine, persecution and poverty. Yet he never lost hope of a better world," Starmer said.

Shortly after noon Rome time, the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica began tolling to mark Francis’ death. Tourists in the square stopped to record the moment.

Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry — a U.S.-based group advocating for greater LGBTQ+ inclusion in the Catholic Church — thanked Francis for his outreach.

“With simple words and gentle gestures, Pope Francis powerfully moved the Catholic Church to become a more welcoming home for LGBTQ+ people,” he said, noting that “Francis was not only the first pope to use the word ‘gay’ when speaking about LGBTQ+ people, he was the first pope to speak lovingly and tenderly to them."

King Charles III praised the pope for his work on safeguarding the planet: “Through his work and care for both people and planet, he profoundly touched the lives of so many."

The pope met privately with Charles and Queen Camilla on April 10 at the Vatican. It was the pope’s first known meeting with a foreign dignitary after he was hospitalized for five weeks with double pneumonia.

The body of the pope is expected to be transferred within the day to the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta hotel where he lived, so that Vatican officials can pay final respects.

There, the head of the Vatican health service examines the body, ascertains the cause of death and writes a report which is expected late Monday.

The body rests in the pope’s personal chapel for the ritual pronouncement of death, presided over by the camerlengo, the Vatican official who runs the Holy See administration until the election of another pope.

For the public, the cardinal archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, is expected to lead a recitation of the Rosary prayer in St. Peter’s Square later Monday.

Bishop Paolo Martinelli, the apostolic vicar of Southern Arabia, recalled the pope's visit to Abu Dhabi in 2019. The vicariate oversees the Catholic Church in the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, called Francis “a great leader whose compassion and commitment to peace touched countless lives" and noted his “legacy of humility and interfaith unity.”

From Buenos Aires, Francis’ hometown, the office of Argentine President Javier Milei expressed condolences to the faithful in the predominately Catholic South American country. Milei, who had chilly relations with the pope, expressed sorrow, noting “differences that seem minor today.”

Milei highlighted the “tireless struggle of Francis’ papacy to protect life from conception, promote inter-religious dialogue and bring a spiritual and virtuous life closer to young people,” his office said, describing Argentina as “the land of Pope Francis.”

Largely Muslim Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the passing of Francis is an irreparable loss to the global community. Sharif praised Francis as a “pioneer of interfaith harmony" and that “Pope Francis’s life and conduct have been a beacon of light — not only for Christians but for people of all faiths.”

The chief rabbi of Rome, Riccardo di Segni, said Francis’ pontificate was an important new chapter in relations between Judaism and Catholicism, “with openings to a dialogue that was sometimes difficult but always respectful.”

U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who met Pope Francis on Easter Sunday, said his “heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him”

“I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill. But I’ll always remember him for the below homily he gave in the very early days of COVID. It was really quite beautiful,” Vance wrote on social media. “May God rest his soul.”

The acting head of the Church of England remembered Pope Francis’ wit, compassion and commitment to improving relations among the world’s religions.

“I remember, in the brief times I spent with him, how this holy man of God was also very human,” the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, said in a statement. “He was witty, lively, good to be with, and the warmth of his personality and interest in others shone out from him.”

The Women’s Ordination Conference had been frustrated by Francis’ unwillingness to push for the ordination of women, calling it “painfully incongruous with his otherwise pastoral nature.”

It added that “this made him a complicated, frustrating, and sometimes heart-breaking figure for many women.” It had long prayed that Francis would be transformed by the testimonies of women sharing their sincere calls from God to ordained ministry, but "when it came to the topic of women in ministry, he seemed stuck in bad theology and outdated tropes.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose country has nearly 30 million Christians making up 2.3% of the population, said Pope Francis will always be remembered “as a beacon of compassion, humility and spiritual courage."

Modi said he was greatly inspired by the pope's commitment to inclusive development," adding: “For those who were suffering, he ignited a spirit of hope.”

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni said the news “deeply saddens us, as we are saying goodbye to a great man and a great shepherd. I had the privilege of enjoying his friendship, his counsel and his teachings, which never failed me, not even in times of trial and suffering.’‘

French President Emmanuel Macron, whose country is largely Catholic, shared his condolences on social media: “From Buenos Aires to Rome, Pope Francis wanted the Church to bring joy and hope to the poorest. For it to unite humans among themselves, and with nature. May this hope forever outlast him.”

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said the pope “was in every way a man of the people," adding that he "recognized the burning issues of our day and called attention to them. With his sober way of life, acts of service and compassion, Pope Francis was a role model for many – Catholics and non-Catholics alike."

Israel’s mostly ceremonial president offered condolences to Christians, calling Pope Francis a man of “deep faith and boundless compassion.” Isaac Herzog said the pope fostered strong ties with Jews and advanced interfaith dialogue.

Francis repeatedly criticized Israel’s wartime conduct and said allegations of genocide, which Israel has adamantly denied, should be investigated.

“I truly hope that his prayers for peace in the Middle East and for the safe return of the hostages will soon be answered,” Herzog wrote on social media.

Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Commission, remembered Francis as an inspiration for the entire world, not just Christians: “He inspired millions, far beyond the Catholic Church, with his humility and love so pure for the less fortunate.”

Francis made his last public appearance on Easter Sunday, when he emerged to bless thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square and treat them to a surprise popemobile romp through the piazza, drawing wild cheers and applause. Before that, he met briefly with U.S. Vice President JD Vance.

He performed the blessing from the same loggia where he was introduced to the world on March 13, 2013, as the 266th pope.

Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Vatican camerlengo, announced that Francis died at 7:35 a.m. Monday (05:35 GMT).

“The Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church,″ Farrell said.

“He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with faithfulness, courage, and universal love, especially for the poorest and most marginalized.

“With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite, merciful love of God, One and Tribune.″

Corrects the spelling of Farrell.